Boys’, girls’ Charlotte Catholic lacrosse teams win

Rob and Natalie Wallon are going places with Charlotte Catholic lacrosse.

Rob, a junior defender, scored four goals for the Cougars in a 14-9 win against Lake Norman in the third round of the N.C. 4A playoffs at Keffer Stadium on Tuesday. Natalie Wallon, a senior defender, scored six for the girls in a 16-2 win against Marvin Ridge.

“She usually has me on the numbers,” Rob Wallon said.

Ian Baker also tallied four goals for Catholic (19-2), which plays Ardrey Kell at home on Friday. The Cougars went on a 4-1 tear over the first 3 minutes, 57 seconds of the third quarter to convert a one-goal lead at intermission into an 11-7 spread by controlling possession and turning Lake Norman miscues into scoring opportunities.

“I thought it was huge,” Rob Wallon said. “I didn’t feel (too) confident for the next two games before states. I knew that team was really good, and I thought it would be a really good game.”

Junior Natalie Italiano added four goals for Catholic (17-2), while each sophomore Claire Dorcy and senior Katie Simpson chipped in a pair each. Taylor Sweeney accounted for both Marvin Ridge (13-4) goals.

The boys’ game was a seesaw duel in the first half before Catholic’s Jackson Harris scored a pair of his three goals late in the second quarter to grab a 7-6 advantage at the break. Lake Norman’s Trevor Miller countered with a pair of goals to keep the Wildcats (15-4) in the hunt. Catholic outshot the Wildcats 22-12 in the first half, but Lake Norman was more efficient with three goals on four attempts in the second quarter to stay in contention.

“We consider ourselves a heavyweight team,” Wildcats coach James Brugger said. “They’re the heavyweight champions. We’re not afraid to trade blows with them, but their blows were a little stronger than ours.”

This story was originally published May 12, 2015 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Boys’, girls’ Charlotte Catholic lacrosse teams win."